Finding Pathways Away from Hate

This past weekend, swastikas and other antisemitic messages were sprayed on the Holocaust Memorial here in Washington Park. They were quickly removed and thankfully there is no permanent damage to the property, but for many of us hearing the news was profoundly unsettling. It is chilling to imagine someone choosing to desecrate the memories of those who were murdered in the Shoah. That the cruelty exhibited by the Nazis against our people and many others is in this moment being celebrated. Tragically this is not news, though, as we witness a rise in antisemitism and white nationalism in general, along with others forms of racial and ethnic violence. 

But we are strong and resilient as a people and are blessed to be part of a vibrant Jewish community here at Havurah and in Portland. And we are not alone. The more we choose to be present in solidarity with other communities who are targeted, the stronger and more resilient we grow. 

May we continue to find pathways to respond to violence in ways that draw us closer to one another and dismantle the movements through which hate is fueled.

Also right now we mourn the loss of those who were killed in the tragedy at Mt. Meron in Israel last week on the festival of Lag Ba’Omer. Our prayers for comfort are with their families and community members. May all those who were injured be blessed with refu’ah shlemah, complete healing. And may the memories of those whose lives were ended be for blessing.

Tikkun Leyl Shavuot

A Night of Multigenerational Learning and Discussion
Sunday, May 16 – Room Aleph

Upcoming Events

Teen-Led Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, May 7, 7 pm – Room Aleph
Please join us for a special, teen-led Kabbalat Shabbat. Music will be provided by our talented Havurah musicians!

Bar Mitzvah of Noah Karoli
Saturday, May 8, 10 am – Room Aleph
Please join us in welcoming Noah Karoli as a Bar Mitzvah and member of our community!

Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation
Tuesday, May 11, 12 pm – Room Bet
We gather to find some moments of quiet and shalom. Led by Rabbi Benjamin, Adela Basayne, or Nancy Becker.

Morning Minyan
Wednesday, May 12, 8:30 am – Room Aleph
For all who want a regular prayer practice and for people saying Kaddish.

New & Prospective Member Welcome Tea
Thursday, May 13, 7 pm – Room Aleph
The Welcome Committee invites new and newish faces to the New and Prospective Member Welcome Tea — an informal Zoom gathering. Come and meet other new and prospective members and some long-time members too! Ask questions about Havurah, and be ready to have some fun! BYOT! (Bring Your Own Tea!) RSVP here.

Bikkur Holim Visioning Meeting
Thursday, May 20, 2021, at 7-8:30pm – Room Bet
After its first year of activity, the Bikkur Holim Committee is looking at lessons learned and visioning how best to continue providing contact and comfort for those who are ill or in mourning, and supporting Rabbi Benjamin in the pastoral care he provides our community. Interested Havurah members are invited to join with current committee members to explore ideas and options. RSVP here.

Poverty & Homelessness Committee Discussion on Poverty
Sunday, May 23, 4-5 pm – Room Bet
The Poverty & Homelessness Committee presents the third in our series of discussions on poverty. Our guest speaker is Havurah member Fran Weick. Since 2002, Fran has been the Director of Human Solutions' Resident Services Program. She has over 30 years of experience working with low-income families. Her focus is housing stability for low-income households and for those who are moving from homelessness to permanent housing. Join us! RSVP here.

Israel/Palestine Film Discussion
Sunday, May 23, 7-8:30 pm – Room Heh
Our third film discussion is about In Between (Bar Behar). Please watch the film prior to discussion. Available from: Prime Video, Kanopy, Fandango Now, VUDU, iTunes, and Film Movement. In Between, a 2016 Israeli-French film about three Palestinian Israel women sharing an apartment in Tel Aviv, depicts their struggles as shaped by living in relatively liberal Tel Aviv, the more conservative Arab society, inequality of Israeli society, and their desire to free themselves.

Book Group Reads "Pogrom: Kishinev and the Tilt of History" by Steven Zipperstein
Tuesday, May 25, 7 pm – Room Bet
So shattering were the aftereffects of Kishinev, the rampage that broke out in late-Tsarist Russia in April 1903, that one historian remarked that it was “nothing less than a prototype for the Holocaust itself.” Steve Zipperstein, who may be the most eminent historian of eastern European Jewry in the United States, uncovers sources in Russian, Yiddish, and English that show not only why this bloody event ignited the Jewish imagination, its sense of embattlement in exile, but also why it had such lasting resonance internationally. Discussion led by Joel Beinin.

Intergenerational Conflict and Sexuality in Yiddish Poetry
Wednesdays, May 26 - June 9, 12-1:15 pm – Room Gimel
Using sexuality as a focal point, we will see how Jewish language and culture are used to explore themes of generational conflict, identity and cultural transition. Led by Deborah Eisenbach-Budner. Register here.

Cemetery Workshop
Wednesday, May 26, 7-8:30 pm – Room Dalet
If you're interested in our beautiful cemetery, come to our workshop! The goal is to help members be more cognizant of the cemetery, and to see if we can develop a group who are trained to sell graves. We'll give a brief history of why we have a cemetery and why it's in the Jones Pioneer Cemetery. We will talk about who can be buried there and what options are available when it comes to grave site selection. Also to be covered: the process of selling a grave site and how we know what graves are sold and which are still available. Questions? Call Dave Weil and leave a message. He'll call you back. RSVP here.

A Community Call to Confront Hate
May 26, 9-1 pm – Register here
In this time of national and local reckoning with our country and state's grim legacy of discrimination and hate, we have come together as a broad coalition of partner organizations and allies to create a virtual summit. A Community Call to Confront Hate is the culmination of a collaborative effort by several local area organizations that previously presented webinars on the history of discrimination and bigotry in Oregon.

Tikkun Olam

Nicholas Kristof Speaking on His Book Tightrope
Monday, June 7, 7 pm
Havurah is invited through our membership with The Interfaith Alliance on Poverty to hear Nicholas Kristof, sharing from his book Tightrope. Be prepared to be inspired, educated and moved to engage from this session "Conversation and questions on poverty. What are our moral imperatives?" More info here. Info brought to you by the Poverty & Homelessness Committee.

Two Important Alliance Events Leading Up to Kristof Talk

Havurah is a member of the Interfaith Alliance on Poverty, engaging through Tikkun Olam Cluster. To prepare for New York Times columnist Nick Kristof on June 7, we are offering three opportunities via Zoom to discuss issues Kristof raises in his book "Tightrope." (The third event is TBD.) Our goal is to  develop specific questions for Kristof that will provide for an illuminating exchange and to create a conversation using "Tightrope" as a lens to talk more broadly about poverty in America, especially locally. One focus is what moral imperatives we are called to through our faith experiences.

Reparations? What Does Our Moral Voice Tell Us?
Thursday, May 6, 12-1:30 pm – RSVP here.
Let’s bring our better selves, our listening, learning selves to this beginning conversation about Reparations, which will inform the coming visit from Nicholas Kristof.

Poverty & Homelessness: Interfaith Alliance on Poverty's Discussion With Nicholas Kristof
Monday, May 10, 7 pm – email Gloria Halper for Zoom link
Prep for the Alliance's June 7 event with Nicholas Kristof by watching an interview by Eric Liu of the Citizen University in Seattle, who raised wide-ranging topics. (Youtube link) Then join the Alliance discussion on Monday evening to delve deep into the root causes of poverty – and, hopefully, how best to address them: observations, worries? What does TIGHTROPE make you wonder?

News & Events from Our Tikkun Olam Partners

Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS) | Interfaith Alliance on Poverty (IAP) | Lift UP | MACG

Can you help Maria find a job?

Do you have experience connecting job seekers to employers? Or connections that could lead to a job? Is your business hiring? The Sanctuary Committee seeks leads, as well as volunteers to join our "employment navigators" supporting Maria, a Guatemalan asylum seeker being sponsored by Havurah. Vaccinated, with a work permit, and improving (though limited) English, Maria needs our support in her transition to independence. Interested, or have a tip to share? Please contact Deborah Kallen (contact info in Havurah directory).

Want to joing our team of employment navigators helping Maria find work? We are looking for leads and volunteers. Please contact Deb Kallen.

Community Events & Offerings

Good Deeds Month
Join with fellow Jewish community members in volunteering around Portland this month: from Tivnu, to cleaning parks, to helping homeless folks, and much more! There's something to get everyone engaged in their community. Learn more here.

COVID-19 Vaccines & Assistance

Congregation Neveh Shalom COVID-19 Outreach and Services (CNSCOS)
Congregation Neveh Shalom COVID-19 Outreach and Services can help you make sense of all there is to know about the pandemic, testing, and vaccines. For those who have been exposed to the virus or tested positive and need to quarantine, CNSCOS can assist with and cover costs for things like grocery shopping, finding housing, childcare, or transportation. For those who have been affected by Covid-19 in an indirect way, CNSCOS can help with finding and applying for financial resources, running errands, accessing food assistance, finding other helpful services, or just calling to chat with folks who are feeling isolated or lonely. The CNSCOS team also provides timely information online here and via a weekly email here. Contact covid19@nevehshalom.org or call 971-990-5652 if you need COVID-19 assistance.

Do You Need Help?

Questions About Havurah?

The Transparency & Inclusivity Committee is an avenue within Havurah Shalom to help members find the answers to question they have wondered about. Please send your questions to transparency@havurahshalom.org. We will anonymously publish your question in Hakol and then answer that question. Everyone in our community benefits from this clarity!